Representing the 2nd District of Alabama

You are here

Alabama Rep. Martha Roby will serve on the special House committee created to investigate the 2012 attacks on the consulate in Libya that left four Americans dead.

Roby, R-Montgomery, is one of seven Republicans named to the 12-member committee. Democrats, who have protested the committee's makeup, have not announced if they will participate in the proceedings.

"The Benghazi attack was a terrible tragedy, and we still mourn the four Americans that were brutally murdered that day," Roby said. "However, the administration's explanation for exactly what happened that day and why has been far from clear, both in the immediate aftermath and months later."

U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others were killed on Sept. 12, 2012 when terrorist forces attacked the consulate in Benghazi. Critics have complained the White House has withheld information related to the attacks.

"It is the duty of Congress to seek answers on the activities of the government on behalf of the American people. Lingering questions about the Benghazi attack and continued White House obstruction compel us to form this Select Committee and continue the search for truth," Roby said.

During her time as Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Roby led earlier hearings into military activities surrounding the attack. The subcommittee report said there was a breakdown in communication between military, intelligence and diplomatic officials and a failure by the White House to facilitate such communication.

The subcommittee's jurisdiction was limited to the Department of Defense's role in the attacks, Roby said.

"There are many more layers to the Benghazi story, including our intelligence community, the State Department, and, of course, the White House. A select committee with broader jurisdiction will better connect these dots and provide a clearer picture," she said.

Roby also responded to criticism the panel is a partisan effort on behalf of Republicans.

"As can be the case in Washington, tension over the Benghazi attacks has at times become a political issue on both sides. As Chairman (Trey) Gowdy said, politics will have no place in this process. Facts aren't Republican or Democratic. Facts are stubbornly impartial, and I'm committed to pursuing the facts wherever they may lead," she said.

Gowdy, of South Carolina, will lead the committee. Other Republicans on the committee will be Lynn Westmoreland, R-GA; Jim Jordan, R-OH; Peter Roskam, R-IL; Mike Pompeo, R-KS; and Susan Brooks, R-IN. Democrats have not announced any potential members.